Airwolf 3D (4)

Those who use 3D printers now have the opportunity to break away from traditional support material and create objects previously thought impossible to 3D print. California-based Airwolf 3D announces HydroFill Water-Soluble Support, the world's first highly effective washable support material for large ABS and PLA parts. Designed for use with any brand of compatible FFF 3D printer, the new filament withstands high temperatures, strongly bonds with ABS and PLA plastics and rinses away with water.

Until now, most 3D printer users were restricted to 3D printing only certain types of designs because there were limited options available when it came to support material, or support structures. The most basic method of employing support is to use the same material that is used for the object being printed. With this technique, the support is erected similarly to scaffolding on a building and "props up" any steeply angled overhangs. Referred to as "breakable" support, this type of support is effective, but can be messy, time-consuming, and difficult to remove by mechanical breakage or trimming. It is not unusual to spend hours cleaning or cutting away support material from a 3D-printed object using razor blades, scalpels, sandpaper, and even power tools.

Some objects are even impossible to print because while the internal geometry of the part requires internal support, the outer portion of the design makes it extremely difficult, even impossible, to get inside the object in order to remove its internal support material. For years, people have tried to solve this problem with support structures that are supposed to dissolve in water or various chemicals. These products are messy and even dangerous -- plus, none of them have proven very successful.

"Since we started Airwolf 3D over four and a half years ago, our customers have been asking for a soluble support option that truly works," said Airwolf 3D Co-Founder and Lead Designer Erick Wolf. "We finally formulated the first real, water-soluble filament in the world and one of the things that makes HydroFill really unique is that it works beautifully when making large ABS parts. Even when exposed to high temperatures, HydroFill maintains its structural integrity while still rinsing away easily with water."

Hydrofill Water Soluble Support was developed at Airwolf 3D in conjunction with Prof. Miodrag ‘Mickey’ Micic, Sc.D., Ph.D., a department chairman and professor of engineering design technology at Cerritos College in Norwalk, CA.

"HydroFill is a proprietary, polymer-blend formulation that is ideal for printing soluble toolings as well as rafts for large-surface-area parts," explained Prof. Micic. "It is the first viable soluble support material in the world that dissolves in clean water without the use of any caustic chemicals, detergents, or solvents and without the use of special equipment like ultrasonic or heated baths. HydroFill is a universal, green chemistry solution."

HydroFill Water-Soluble Filament joins Airwolf 3D's suite of innovative products, such as Wolfbite Premium Bed Adhesion Solution, designed for use with virtually any dual head 3D printer. To better accommodate users with different brands of 3D printers, HydroFill Water-Soluble Filament will be available in both 1.75 mm and 3.0 mm diameters.

Airwolf 3D announced it has added an entry-level 3D printer the AW3D HDL to its rapidly expanding line of high performance 3D desktop printers for the professional market. The HDL delivers the same award-winning quality and technical support as the company’s high-end 3D units with the scalability to add more technically advanced features later.

The HDL is ideal for educators, professionals and resellers desiring a 3D printer that meets their needs without breaking their budgets. As their requirements grow, however, the HDL’s modular design keeps pace, allowing users to gradually add capabilities such as the jam-resistant JRx hot end or dual hot-end that print engineering-grade filaments like polycarbonate and Bridge nylon.

The HDL features a class-leading build envelope of 1,100 cubic inches (12" x 8" x 11"), which is three to four times larger than competitors at a similar price. The printer offers layer-to-layer resolution as fine as 0.08 mm and a maximum speed of 150 mm/s. It comes fully assembled and calibrated. Print media include biodegradable PLA, and PLA variants such as Soft PLA, LayBrick, LayWood, and BronzeFill as well as TPE and TPU filaments.

“The AW3D HDL is not a toy for hobbyists,” stated Erick Wolf, Airwolf 3D founder and chairman. “It’s a serious professional 3D printer built in response to customers asking for a high-quality unit at an aggressive price point. The only difference between it and our most advanced 3D printer is the absence of technically advanced features, which can easily be added as needs and budgets dictate.”

For software support, Airwolf 3D offers complimentary MatterControl PRO for organizing and managing all 3D prints. To help educators introduce students to 3D printing, Airwolf 3D also offers lesson plans on its website.

The HDL is in stock and available for immediate purchase. The first public demonstration is scheduled for 3D Printer World Expo in Seattle, August 22-23, 2014.

Airwolf 3D is committed to manufacturing high-performance 3D printers that are fast, affordable, durable and easy to use. All 3D printers are made in America, manufactured in the company’s 12,000 sq. ft. facility in Costa Mesa, California. Currently, Airwolf 3D printers can be found in engineering firms, Fortune 500 corporations, government agencies and schools worldwide.

Airwolf 3D, a privately-held designer, manufacturer and distributor of high-performance 3D printers, has once again delivered on its strategic vision for the 3D printing industry by unveiling the AW3D HD2x dual hot end 3D printer, streamlining dual head printing.

Previously, desktop dual-head 3D printer manufacturers faced the nearly impossible challenge of maintaining alignment, temperature, and flow control over two separate and distinct hot ends. Such machines are plagued with clogging, dripping, misshapen prints and system shut downs.

The secret lies in the proprietary, patent-pending JRx print heads, each powered by its own stepper motor. Unlike other 3D printers, the two hot ends are manufactured as a single piece. This fixed relationship eliminates x and y axis alignment problems because there is no slippage; the heads are always in frame. As such, the machine’s dual head spatial calibration is fixed in the firmware rather than in the user interface.

“Our ultimate goal is to place a 3D printer on every desktop,” said Erick Wolf, Airwolf 3D co-founder and chairman. “To accomplish this we have to design and manufacture units that include the features customers want at an affordable price.”

“Our new dual hot end AW3D HD2x is the latest example of our commitment and our most significant product ever,” Wolf added. “We’ve engineered it to be a simple-to-use, hassle-free 3D printer that combines the versatility of two hot ends with the desirability of printing over 20 different materials including polycarbonate and nylon. Basically, we’ve built a $10,000 desktop printer for a fraction of the cost.”

The HD2x’s advanced dual JRx (jam resistant) hot ends are the first affordable hot ends that can run all day at temperatures of 315 degrees Celsius (599 degrees Fahrenheit) to print engineering-grade materials like polycarbonate, and numerous forms of nylon including Bridge Nylon and Nylon 645.

The dual JRx hot ends can print two compatible materials simultaneously. For example, the main body can be printed in ABS with a supporting scaffold of high impact polystyrene (HIPS) that easily dissolves for a cleaner final print with smoother edges. The dual hot ends can also print two colors simultaneously, which opens up creative options with materials like ABS, PLA, and PET.

The HD2x uses nylon gears for less wear and longer life and a finer pitch lead screw for increased z positioning accuracy. It features a class-leading building envelope of 1,050 cubic inches (11” x 8” x 12”), making it ideal for large prototyping. The printer offers layer-to-layer resolutions as fine as 0.06mm and a maximum print speed of 150mm/s with a positioning precision of 0.02mm. Because the 3D printer is fully autonomous, no link-up to a computer is required.

Until now the only way engineers and designers could print prototypes and parts fabricated from polycarbonate, nylon and other engineering-grade materials requiring high temperatures was to purchase large, expensive 3D printers. Today, Airwolf 3D announced a major price/performance breakthrough with the introduction of its AW3D HDx, a desktop 3D printer that prints engineer-grade materials.

“Imagine a 3D printer that can print engineering-grade materials placed on every desktop,” said Erick Wolf, founder and CEO of Airwolf 3D. “Imagine the creativity it could unleash as engineers and artists experiment and create objects that until now were virtually impossible to affordably print. That’s our vision: to bring imagination to the desktop.”

The AW3D HDx 3D printer upgrades the current AW3D HD, with higher acceleration, faster movement and more accurate positioning. It also uses nylon gears for less wear and longer life and a finer pitch lead screw for increased z positioning accuracy. It features a class-leading build envelope of 1,150 cubic inches (12” x 8” x 12”), making it ideal for large prototyping. The printer offers layer-to-layer resolution as fine as 0.06mm and a maximum print speed of 150mm/s with a positioning precision of 0.02mm. No link-up to a computer is required and it comes fully assembled and calibrated.

For current customers, Airwolf 3D’s JRx hot end can be retrofitted on existing AW3D HD and AW3D XL 3D printers, providing an inexpensive upgrade path that enables them to print engineering-grade materials.

Airwolf 3D is committed to manufacturing high-performance 3D printers that are fast, affordable, durable and easy to use. All 3D printers are made in America, manufactured in the company’s 12,000 sq. ft. facility in Costa Mesa, Calif. Currently, Airwolf 3D printers can be found in engineering firms, government agencies and schools worldwide.